athlete of the week – Moore County Edition

Dec

21

2024

Athlete of the Week: Isaiah Upchurch

Sportsathlete of the week, Isaiah Upchurch, Sandhills Community College, Southern Lee

Sandhills Community College men’s basketball freshman guard Isaiah Upchurch is Athlete of the Week. The Southern Lee product is second on the No. 3‑ranked Flyers in scoring and is second on the team in 3‑pointers made. He came up big in the team’s biggest game of the young season, however. In Sandhills CC’s upset over the top‑ranked team in the country, Davidson‑Davie Community College, Upchurch scored 30 points on 9‑of‑16 shooting. He was also a perfect 10 for 10 from the free‑throw line and added two rebounds, two steals and three assists.

Dec

13

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Kingsley Donaldson

Sportsathlete of the week, Kingsley Donaldson, Union Pines, Union Pines basketball, Union Pines boys' basketball

Union Pines boys’ basketball post player Kingsley Donaldson is Athlete of the Week. Donaldson leads the Vikings in rebounding and is second in scoring and shooting percentage. He’s also second in blocks and third in steals. Donaldson had a huge game against Gray’s Creek, hitting 17 of 24 from the field, including 1 of 2 from deep. He also hit 3 of 6 from the free-throw line. When the dust cleared, he had 38 points, more than half of Union Pines’ 73 on the night. He also had a double-double, with a team-high 14 rebounds. Donaldson added four steals and…

Dec

01

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Tyne Ross

Sportsathlete of the week, North Carolina A&T, Tyne Ross, Union Pines

NC A&T volleyball freshman Tyne Ross is Athlete of the Week. Ross is a 2024 graduate of Union Pines, where she starred for the volleyball and tennis teams. She’s now a freshman on the NC A&T volleyball team. The Aggies entered the postseason with a 17-9 record, a significant turnaround from 8-18 last year. Ross is a big reason why. A&T won back-to-back games to close out the regular season, and Ross led the team in kills in both games, with 17 and 21. She also had a team-high seven digs in the season finale. Ross leads the team in…

Nov

23

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Zymire Spencer

Sportsathlete of the week, Pinecrest, pinecrest football, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Zymire Spencer

Pinecrest senior running back Zymire Spencer is Athlete of the Week. The No. 12 seed Patriots won their NCHSAA playoff opener, beating New Hanover 30-16, and a crushing ground game led by Spencer is a big reason why. Spencer carried the ball 26 times, gaining 137 yards. He scored a touchdown and also added a 19-yard pass reception. He has now rushed for at least 125 yards in his last nine games and scored a touchdown in his last six. For the season, Spencer has 1,757 rushing yards, which is fifth most in the state and second most at the…

Nov

16

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Kael Jahn

Sportsathlete of the week, Kael Jahn, Union Pines, Union Pines football, Union Pines soccer

Union Pines two-sport athlete Kael Jahn is Athlete of the Week. Plenty of athletes around the state are able to compete in two — or more — high school sports. Not many do so simultaneously, however. Jahn spent the fall playing goalkeeper for the Vikings boys’ soccer team while also kicking for the football team. Things went pretty well doing double duty, too. Jahn finished second in the Sandhills Conference in goals against average and shared the Sandhills Goalkeeper of the Year award. He also ranked No. 15 in the 3A level in goals against. Meanwhile, in American football, he…

Oct

18

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Hailey Gibbons

Sportsathlete of the week, Hailey Gibbons, Patriots, Pinecrest, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Pinecrest volleyball

Pinecrest volleyball senior Hailey Gibbons is Athlete of the Week. The Patriots finished a perfect 12-0 conference season with wins over Hoke County and Union Pines. In the senior night win over Hoke, Gibbons led Pinecrest with 11 digs and 15 receptions, adding four service aces and an assist. In the regular season finale against Union Pines, Gibbons had 18 digs, 11 receptions, three assists and an ace. For the season, Gibbons leads the team in aces per set and is third in digs, receptions and total aces.

Oct

12

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Brandon Powell

Sportsathlete of the week, Brandon Powell, North Moore, north moore football, North Moore High School, North Moore Mustangs

North Moore football senior running back Brandon Powell is Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. The Mustangs won their second straight game after an 0-4 start, blowing out Bartlett Yancey 55‑22 last Friday. North Moore didn’t throw a pass in the game, rushing for 488 yards. Powell had more than half of them, carrying 23 times for 269 yards, an average of 11.7 yards per carry. He also scored six touchdowns. Powell is the state’s No.3 rusher at the 1A level and leads the Mid-Carolina Conference.

Oct

06

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Blake Pennington

Sportsathlete of the week, Blake Pennington, North Moore, north moore football, North Moore High School

North Moore football freshman Blake Pennington is Athlete of the Week. Playing with older brother Colby, a North Moore senior this season, in their only year together, Blake has quickly made a name for himself on the Mustangs defense. He is averaging more than 10 tackles a game to lead the team. In North Moore’s shutout win over Jordan-Matthews last week, Pennington had a game-high 14 tackles. He also added two tackles for loss, giving him three on the season, to go with one sack. Pennington also blocked two punts against the Jets.

Sep

20

2024

By Stanly County Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Emily Regtuyt

Sportsathlete of the week, Emily Regtuyt, Pinecrest High school

Pinecrest volleyball sophomore Emily Regtuyt is Athlete of the Week. The Patriots have won four of their last five, including two of three last week, and are now 9-5 on the year and leading the Sandhills at 5-0. Regtuyt had six blocks in a win over Scotland, adding three kills, an ace, two digs and two assists. For the year, she leads the team in blocks and is second in hitting percentage. Her 42 blocks also lead the Sandhills Conference.

Sep

12

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Brandon Powell

Sportsathlete of the week, Brandon Powell

North Moore football senior Brandon Powell is Athlete of the Week. The Mustangs fell to 0-3 on the year with a loss to Northwood, but Powell went out on his shield in the game. He rushed for 213 yards on 21 carries, scoring once. He had a long run of 61 yards and added a catch for 25. Powell currently leads North Moore in rushing and scoring and is among the conference leaders in rushing yards.